The native options may be less familiar to many beef producers in the eastern and southeastern U.S., but ended up being the most economically efficient.Īnd the study showed that the native forage options had an unexpected benefit. “We chose these native grasses because less research has been conducted on them,” says Keyser. Three of the warm-season grasses evaluated in the study – eastern gamagrass, switchgrass, and a mix of big bluestem and indiangrass – were native grasses. Keyser and colleagues measured the nutritional value of different warm-season grasses. The study was published in Agronomy Journal, a publication of the American Society of Agronomy. Keyser is the lead author of a new study that assessed the strengths and weaknesses of five warm-season forage grasses. “Such warm-season grasses can help them remain in business.” “Cattle farmers can benefit from having strong summer forage production from warm-season grasses,” says Patrick Keyser, a researcher at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. These grasses grow well in warmer, drier conditions during summer in the eastern U.S. On the other hand, there are also “warm-season” grasses, like big bluestem or bermudagrass. But it’s not always cool and wet in the eastern U.S., and come the summer months, cool-season grasses tend to not do well. As the name suggests, cool-season grass grows best in temperate conditions: temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and abundant rainfall. But what do beef cattle eat? In the eastern United States, beef cattle often eat tall fescue, a “cool-season” grass. On average, Americans eat more than 50 pounds of beef each year (according to USDA estimates). Pruning requirements of this plant are easy - leave it alone until later in the winter when it begins to lean over due to heavy snow.What type of grass is best for beef cattle? OctoAdityarup "Rup" Chakravorty Big bluestem does well in average to moist soils but will tolerate drier conditions. If you plant big bluestem in part shade, you may have problems with it falling over because there may be less vegetation surrounding it. Big bluestem is a native grass of the prairie states and was one of the most abundant grasses on the tallgrass prairies of Nebraska.īig bluestem prefers full sun but will grow in part shade. They will eat all of the big bluestem before they eat any other type of grass because it tastes so good to them, the way people will always find room to eat ice cream. Big bluestem also is known as an "ice cream grass" because wildlife and livestock relish this plant as a food source. All three of these big bluestem varieties would be an asset to any acreage landscape.īig bluestem is not only treasured by landscapers -wildlife and domestic animals love it as well. There also is a hybrid known as 'Silver sunrise.' It is a little shorter and more compact than big bluestem and has blue tinted foliage with more flower heads on it. 'Pawnee' has a nice red color for the fall, versus the tan for the standard big bluestem. There is a shorter variety that only gets about five to six feet tall, known as 'Pawnee'. Other than the standard Andropogon gerardii, you can get a couple of varieties to better suit your needs. Big bluestem flowers in July and the seeds will retain their shape throughout most of the winter. The most interesting part of this particular grass, those seed heads will last into the fall giving great interest to an otherwise dull fall garden. The flower is a grouping of two to four long strands of seeds that look like the claws on any bird's feet. In some places big bluestem is also called turkeyfoot due to the flower that looks like a turkey's foot. Big bluestem can grow up to 8 feet tall and can grow a clump up to 36 inches across. Big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, is one of the more common grasses to use in a landscape setting because it is tall and has a very interesting seed head that lasts into the fall.īig bluestem is a warm season grass that is planted as a clump grass, which means that it does not spread very far out from the main plant. Because they don't have large, brightly colored, wonderfully fragrant flowers, people use grasses for fall interest and for a different texture than the usual annuals and perennials that are often planted. Grasses are utilized as accent pieces in a landscape. Grasses can be very beautiful and make very interesting focal points for your landscape in the fall and winter months.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |